The Law and the way around it.

She, almost always, comes late to work (2-3 hours for the most part) and stays behind (2-4 hours after closing time).  She has often demanded that someone  stay with her while she is still at the office.  That means that a regular employee will have to come in at 7.30am and leave at 7.30 - 8.00pm.  So far her secretary, I and one more employee have been trying hard to cope but has been impossible mostly because while she's still at her house getting ready for work, we've already dealt with half of the working day. 

An open conversation was made about it.  Her secretary declared unable to stay after closing time for personal reasons,  another employee (Syria) that was asked said she couldn't possibly spend 5 days a week working from 8am to 8pm non-stop and when I was asked I said I m not exactly inclined  being a secretary in my spare time (spare time used sarcastically).   The final decision was hers of course and it was that Syria would fill in for the secretary from 3.30pm til whenever she decided the day was over.  Of course Syria would still be at the office in the early morning not being granted a flexible schedule and  she will get paid overtime...  that's if her overtime is in within the legal time limits.  

Work law defines as maximum allowed overtime compensation one and half hour after closing time every day, except Fridays and 2 hours after closing time on Fridays.  After this no overtime is paid and in certain cases both the Manager and the Employer are responsible for keeping the employee at work.  

Work law also defines that upper management is not to be paid any overtime as this is already included in their payment.  

Syria, has been staying at work, doing overtime on an average of 3 hours every day for the past 4 or 5 days. The printed timer indicated this clearly! I, being responsible for keeping practices lawful at work (at least for things that concern HR) printed out the relative legislation and brought it to the manager, willing to discuss the matter on every level (figure out if we could hire someone else, find out whether we could switch Syria's schedule to flexible etc).  

Her response was a mad woman screaming and blackmailing talking about bad work ethic and unacceptable practices. Because it is impossible to transfer the conversation as it exactly happened I will try to highlight the main points (her points actually):

• At her previous division, employees worked without getting paid  overtime.
• Employees in our division should voluntarily work overtime without wanting to get paid for it
• A good employee is the one who will dedicate his life to the bank.
• If the bank bankrupts and needs to lay off people, when she's asked she will have to be objective and point out who the good employees are (meaning those who work overtime without getting paid -by the way, this is pure blackmail).  Apparently efficacy, knowledge, ability to deal with issues and complicated matters are not good qualities unless you stay at work overtime without getting paid.
• She doesn't care what the law says, there has to be a way around it (in fact she didn't even read the law).
• I or whoever should find her a way to have someone stay with her til late cause she's very busy and needs help.
• She doesn't wish to talk about overtime any longer, this is ridiculous stuff
• Employees in our division are out of work when the time is over and this is bad work ethics -according to her-  (which is a lie because many of them stay behind if there's work to be done).
• When the time for judgement comes she will show us (didn't exactly phrase it that way but this was the essence of it). 
• Times are hard and we don't realize it (she's telling us! she who gets the highest level of pay, compared to all of us!) and we should give our best to the Bank that's supporting us (while she's straightening out periods and commas).   

By the time the conversation, that had turned into an argument, was almost over, she was screaming furiously and I was feeling the blood in my veins boiling - my  eyes ready to pop out of their eyeballs, but being generally cordial I did not answer to her insults for either my co-workers and myself. As a result, 5 hours after the actual event, I still think about it and feel my blood pressure rising.  

I think my time in this division is limited...  thought I'd be able to deal with her with humour but this is becoming a mission impossible.